A Trip Full of Trouble
by Sierra Rose 22
Summary: The fates can be unpredictable as Adam Cartwright soon learns as he deals with stagecoach robbers, a spoiled teenage girl, and a very long walk in the hot sun. A far cry from what he had planned for his quiet trip home. WARNING: Spanking of teenager.
1. Chapter 1

All recognizable characters, setting, etc. are the property of their respective owners. All original characters and plots are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A Trip Full of Trouble**

OOOOOOOOOOO

All Adam Cartwright wanted to do was just sit back and relax and possibly sleep on the stage until he got home. He had finished up with his business in Reno and was exhausted to be sure. He couldn't wait to get back to the ranch and his own bed. Even Joe's teasing sounded good right about now. But the one thing that made him smile was the thought of getting home to sweep his fiancée into his arms and kiss her until she was breathless. Of course you know how the best-laid plans don't always go the way we want them to, and getting home for that kiss may take a little longer than planned. Because this stagecoach ride was definitely not going to make its schedule and was going to turn out to be one that Adam would remember for a long time to come!

Adam had a bad feeling about just how much sleep he might be getting when he saw the little darling while he was waiting in the stage office. Actually, he heard her whining long before he saw her. And if he had known what was in store for him on this ride home—he would have gladly waited for the next stage!

Sitting in a chair with his hat over his face, Adam was trying to get a little sleep before the stage left for Virginia City when he heard what was to be the first of many high pitched whines that would plague his dreams for many a night to come.

"I don't want to ride this dirty, old stagecoach. I thought you said my father was going to pick us up here. Why does he want us to meet him in Virginia City anyway? There are only riffraff that ride these smelly stages, and I won't sit next to some stinky cowboy all the way to Virginia City!"

Fifteen year old Rebecca Louise Sullivan stomped her foot and crossed her arms adding a little more dramatics to her statement.

"Miss Langford, you really must do something about this at once, do you hear me? I will not do this and no amount of talking will change my mind!"

Miss Langford was a small, elderly woman with slightly graying hair and little spectacles that perched on the end of her nose. She wore her hair in a tight bun on the top of her head, which made her look all prim and proper. But if a person looked closely, they would see the sparkle that was in her bright blue eyes that held a note of mischievousness.

"Now, Miss Rebecca, you really must do what your father has instructed us to do. I am not sure why the plans have changed, but he was most adamant about meeting him in Virginia City and taking the stagecoach to get there."

"Very well, but I will be miserable the whole time I am on this horrid stagecoach, and I won't be nice to anyone that tries to talk to me either!"

Rebecca turned quickly and started to head for the bench to sit down without looking where she was going. As she did, her foot caught the edge of Adam's boot and down she went in a pool of petticoats.

After having his foot stepped on, Adam immediately jumped up and looked down at the beautiful young girl that was sitting at his feet frowning with her arms crossed in front of her. She was a lovely, young girl with long auburn hair and bright blue eyes. But the frown that was on her face certainly didn't make her look lovely at the moment.

"Miss, are you all right? I am so sorry you tripped over my foot. May I help you up?"

Rebecca looked up at Adam with contempt in her eyes. "You stupid, careless cowboy, can't you watch what you are doing with your big feet? I could have been seriously injured!"

Lifting his brow in amusement Adam remarked, "I really don't think you were in danger of any serious injuries, miss. Let me help you up."

Rebecca slapped his hand away as she looked over at her nanny.

"Miss Langford, you will assist me at once. How much longer must I sit here before you see to my needs?"

Adam pulled his hand away and muttered sarcastically under his breath, "I wish I could see to your needs, young lady. You can bet if I did, you wouldn't be sitting too comfortably on this dirty, old stagecoach."

As Adam turned to walk back to his seat, Miss Langford hurried over and smiled at Adam as she held out her hand.

"How do you do, sir? My name is Miss Marietta Langford and I thank you for offering to help Miss Rebecca. Shame on you now, Miss Rebecca. The kind gentleman was only offering his assistance. You were being very rude."

Miss Langford walked back over to her angry charge and reached down and helped Rebecca up as she smoothed down her skirts all around her.

"Helpful, he is the reason I fell in the first place! Hmmph!"

Rebecca turned and walked over and sat down on the bench with a heavy sigh. She started impatiently tapping her foot waiting for her nanny to join her.

Adam tipped his hat to Miss Langford as he gave her one of his dimpled smiles.

"Ma'am."

"Thank you for you kindness, sir. I do apologize for Miss Rebecca's rudeness."

"Don't you think she should be the one that is doing the apologizing, not you?"

Miss Langford smiled and her eyes twinkled as she said, "Oh no, Miss Rebecca never apologizes for anything."

Adam smiled politely but his voice held a trace of sarcasm.

"Really? Good thing I am not the one in charge of her then. She would be apologizing for her rudeness for sure, right after I took care of her…needs!" Adam cleared his throat and smiled.

"Well ma'am, if you will excuse me?"

Adam tipped his hat once again and went back over and took his seat. This is going to be a very long ride for certain he thought, as he placed his hat back down over his face and leaned back in the chair.

ooooooooooooo

The stagecoach was making good time as it moved along at a steady pace. Adam had been trying to sleep, but had given up long ago after the stage seemed to hit every rut in the road that kept bouncing him awake. So for now he was passing the time glancing around at the rest of the passengers that had joined him on this dusty journey home.

Sitting across from him was the heavyset gentleman that said he was a button salesman hoping to sell his buttons in Virginia City. And next to him sat a sweet young couple that had told him they were recently married and on their way to Virginia City for their honeymoon. And finally of course, there was dear, sweet, annoying Rebecca Louise Sullivan and her devoted nanny. We can't forget sweet Becky…if only I could thought Adam, as he grinned to himself. She had been whining since the stage left the station. First it was too dusty, then it was too bumpy. It seemed to be one thing or the other with this young girl. Adam had tried his best to ignore her whining, but her voice had a way of grating on one's nerves no matter how much you tried to ignore her.

Adam was just about to tell her to stop her constant whining for the sake of his sanity, when the stage hit a deep rut in the road and started tipping back and forth precariously. The severity of the swaying was bad enough to make even Rebecca quit her whining—for the moment. That is until she started shouting at the top of her lungs!

"What is happening, Miss Langford? You must do something before we all die in this retched stagecoach! Oh, I don't want to die! I am much too young and too pretty to die in a dirty, old stagecoach!"

Adam let out a long exasperated sigh as he reached over and grabbed Rebecca's shoulders and shook her gently—then he said sternly, "Stop this shouting for heaven sakes, or you very well may die in this smelly, old stagecoach… because someone on this stage may strangle you! Everything is fine, young lady. The stage has already righted itself so you can calm down now and stop shouting."

Rebecca's eyes got as big as saucers as she pulled her arms back to her sides. Then she quickly brushed at her arms where Adam's hands had been and looked at him furiously as she exclaimed, "Well, I have never been so insulted in all my life. How dare you speak to me this way! My father would never allow anyone to speak to me in that fashion. You just wait until I tell my father how you have spoken to me!"

One of Adam's dark eyebrows rose and a smirk appeared on his handsome face as he leaned in towards her, "I can hardly wait, little girl."

Rebecca sat back and crossed her arms in front of her as she stuck out her tongue at Adam. Then she quickly turned and started looking out the window. Miss Langford stifled a laugh behind her gloved hand and her blue eyes twinkled as she looked over at Adam. Adam noticed her laugh and gave her a playful wink as he put his hat back over his eyes, hoping to try and sleep away the rest of this dreadful trip.

But the fates were not on Adam's side and would have none of that, as suddenly a round of gunshots rang out and the stage was pulled to a sudden halt!

TBC

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please review… I love the feedback!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The button salesman leaned out the window and hollered up to the driver.

"What is going on driver, why are we stopping?"

His question was answered as the stage door was opened and a scraggly looking man with a bandana over his face peered inside. The bandana kept slipping down and the nervous man had to keep adjusting it.

"All right… everybody outside… NOW!"

As the robber started to point his gun at Adam he became so nervous that he suddenly dropped it. The look of panic showed in his eyes as he quickly grabbed the gun from the floor of the stage and once again pointed it at the passengers.

Deciding this was a good time to make a move Adam slowly lowered his hand down by his gun, but the man noticed and growled, "Don't nobody try and be heroes neither or I shoot you where you sit!"

The robber motioned for Adam to hand over his gun and then the passengers slowly disembarked the stage. Adam was the last one to get off of the stage and as he did the man deliberately gave him a hard shove.

"Never did like nobody that thinks they is a hero. Better watch yourself mister."

Taking a final quick look inside the stagecoach the clumsy robber bumped his head on top of the door opening as he was pulling his head back out. Letting out a yelp he ended up dropping his gun once again as he stuck Adam's gun in his waistband. Then as he quickly grabbed it off the floor of the stage with one hand, he rubbed his sore head with the other. Finally getting his act together he stood up and turned toward the passengers. But when he did, he suddenly came face to face with the menacing look of a very angry Adam Cartwright, which did nothing to help his nervousness.

After all this was the first hold up that he and his partner Homer had ever done and he certainly wasn't feeling very brave right about now. It had been Clive's idea and he had convinced Homer that there was easy money on this stage. Now that he looked at someone as strongly built as Adam with the look in his eyes that held swift retribution, Clive wasn't so sure about his latest idea to get rich quick.

Adam's jaw clenched tightly as he went over and stood by the rest of the passengers. He was always very good at concealing what was really going on in his mind, and today was no different as he kept a tight rein on his simmering temper. So he would just bide his time until the perfect opportunity came to change this situation around.

Too bad the rest of the passengers weren't acting as calm as Adam, but no such luck. Clive told everyone to line up in a row and hand over any jewelry or money they had, and for now everyone complied without any protest. The button salesman was sweating profusely and was quite glad by the time Clive got his money and moved down the line. The young newlyweds also did as they were told, but the young bride held back her left hand as she cried softly.

"What is behind your back lady? Are you hiding somethin'?"

The young woman slowly put out her left hand as she nervously asked, " May I keep my wedding ring… please? We just got married and it means so much to me."

Clive looked over at Homer for what to do next as Homer scoffed, "Well, it means more to you than what little money we can get for it, so keep it!"

The new bride smiled as she said softly, "Thank you."

As Clive moved on down to Adam he wasn't real happy with the amount of money he got from him. Luckily Adam had wired the money home from his business transaction and only had twenty dollars on him. The stagecoach driver only had a dollar, and by the time he had gotten down the line of passengers everything had gone relatively smooth until Clive got to Rebecca—then everything went south.

So far Clive and Homer weren't doing very well with this little robbery, and Homer had discovered that even the strong box only had a small amount of money in it. They had definitely miscalculated which stage to rob, so by the time Clive stood in front of Rebecca his patience was running thin.

"I told you to hand over all your jewelry and money, girl. Why do you still have that necklace on and what is in that purse there?"

Rebecca looked up at Clive and smugly replied, "I am NOT giving you this necklace. It was a gift from my father, and furthermore I will not give you my money either!"

Rebecca started to walk away deciding she had dismissed him with her answer and she was through talking with this riff raff.

Clive looked over at Homer as he nervously asked, "What do I do now, Homer? She ain't givin' me her necklace."

Homer just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"I told ya to stop using my name, you dad burn fool. You are bigger than her…just take it from her!"

Clive looked at Rebecca apprehensively as he started to grab the necklace from around her neck. But when he leaned over to grab her necklace, Rebecca reached for his arm and pulled it to her as she sank her teeth as hard as she could into his hand.

"Yeow!" yelled Clive, as he pulled back his arm and started dancing around the group.

Adam decided that this was the perfect opportunity to make his move as he slowly reached down into his boot for the small derringer that he always kept there for emergencies. But once again the fates stepped in and Adam's plans were quickly changed.

After Rebecca had bitten the robber she was still very angry that he had dared to put his hands on her, so she started hitting him over the head with her purse to show her displeasure! As she leaned back to hit him one last time, she ended up bumping into Adam while he was bent over trying to retrieve his gun. Her little antics ended up knocking Adam over onto the ground and his gun quickly slipped from his hand.

Clive had tried to pull his gun from his holster, but was so distracted from Rebecca biting him and then hitting him over the head, he wasn't watching what he was doing with his gun and suddenly a shot rang out. He slowly looked down at his foot as the realization that he just shot his own foot begin to dawn on him. All kinds of emotions played across his face as his bandana fell around his neck—first disbelief, then shock and finally lots of yelling as he fell to the ground holding onto his wounded foot. Homer just shook his head as he walked over and looked down at the clumsy robber.

"For heaven's sake you fool, can't you do nothin' right? Pull up your bandana 'fore people see your ugly face!"

After Adam had been knocked over and his gun had fallen out of his hand it ended up lying on the ground by his boot. Unfortunately Homer suddenly spied it and came over and quickly grabbed it before Adam could get it back.

"Well looky here, we got us another gun. Too bad you couldn't be a hero today, mister."

Adam just glared at Homer as he realized that was the only chance he had left to stop these robbers. Homer just laughed as he went over to Rebecca and grabbed her purse and picked up the necklace that had come loose and fallen on the ground. Then he went over to Clive and helped him get to his feet.

"Come on you idiot. We got all we is gonna get from this stage."

As he got Clive to his feet Homer slapped him on his back and complained, "You and your bright ideas… you was the one that said this stage had money in the strong box. Why do I ever listen to you?"

Homer gave his partner a shove toward his horse and then mounted up on his own horse. While Clive had been taking the money from the passengers, Homer had unhooked the horses from the stage and had them attached together with a long rope behind him.

"Well at least we can get some money for these horses, so I guess it ain't all a loss."

Clive was whining about his foot when Homer looked over at him and frowned.

"You'll live! I am so mad at you right now… jest be glad that I don't shoot your other foot for getting me into this mess in the first place!"

By now Adam had gotten up and was scowling at the two robbers. His look had made many a grown man tremble and it was starting to do a job on Clive as he nervously looked away.

"You can't just leave us here without some form of transportation. If you take the horses we are stranded," Adam declared angrily.

Clive looked puzzled as he asked Homer, "What does transportation mean?"

Homer just shook his head and grinned.

"It means how are they gonna get to the way station, you idiot."

Then he grinned at Adam as he chuckled, "I guess you will have to walk. Good luck!"

Homer turned his horse and the stagecoach horses and started to ride off when he suddenly noticed that Clive was still sitting there.

"Clive, come on you fool. I swear… one of these days I'm gonna shoot you jest to put ME out of my misery!"

Finally both robbers took off and within moments all that was left of the two incompetent robbers was a cloud of dust.

Rebecca stood there for a moment before she started yelling. "Well do something you men! They just took my money and jewelry. Go after them you fools!"

When no one said or did anything, Rebecca stomped over to Adam and grabbed his arm.

"Cowboy, don't just stand there, do something!"

Looking down at Rebecca frowning Adam pulled his arm away from her and said, "Settle down, little girl. Just how do you expect us to go after them…on foot?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes and frowned, "Oh… you people are worthless!"

Then she stormed over and sat down on a boulder that was sticking out of the ground and pouted.

Letting out a long frustrated sigh Adam muttered under his breath as he headed for the stagecoach, "This is going to be a very long trip."

TBC

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Thank you for your wonderful reviews…love them…you keep me inspired!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Adam was trying very hard to keep his temper in check as he looked over at Rebecca who by now was busy brushing off the dust on her dress, totally unconcerned that it was her fault that Adam had lost his second gun. Starting to loose his patience with this young lady's behavior, Adam stopped walking towards the stagecoach and turned around and walked over to stand in front of Rebecca as he angrily glared down at her.

"Young lady, it is your fault that I lost my gun. If you hadn't got your temper in a snit and started to hit the robber over the head, I could have probably gotten the drop on them and maybe saved us from a very long walk!"

"Me? You can't be serious, cowboy? Surely you don't blame this mess on me?"

Rebecca looked around at the group as she waved her hands. "You and the rest of these men should have overpowered those robbers, and then we wouldn't be standing here in this awful heat waiting for someone to come and rescue us."

Adam just shook his head as he put his fingers on the bridge of his nose and counted to ten. After he had convinced himself that she was just a child and he needed to try and ignore her inconsiderate behavior, he looked over at the stagecoach driver.

"Frank, how far do you think it is to the next way station?"

Frank looked around at their surroundings and eventually said, "I reckon about ten to twelve miles, Adam."

"Well, let's just stay by the stage until nightfall and then come morning we will start out for the station. I think with the women along two days of walking should probably do it."

Adam walked over and picked up his hat where it had fallen onto the ground when Rebecca had bumped into him. He dusted it off and headed over to the stagecoach to check on the water situation. Rebecca continued standing there for a moment until she realized that Adam was ignoring her and he really meant for them to walk to the next station, so she quickly headed over to Adam and started to grab his arm.

"Just a minute there, cowboy. You can't possibly mean you expect ME to walk to that station, do you?"

Adam looked down at Rebecca as he casually responded, "Yes, I guess I do… because I'm certainly not going to carry you!"

Smiling smugly Adam turned his back on Rebecca as he reached into the stagecoach checking the canteens for water. Letting out a frustrated gasp Rebecca grabbed Adam's arm again as she continued questioning him.

"Surely you can't really expect me to walk that far, cowboy? You will just have to go and bring someone back here to get me."

Slightly annoyed now, Adam leaned in towards her as he firmly declared, "First of all, my name is Adam Cartwright…not cowboy. YOU may call me Mr. Cartwright. And secondly, I do expect you to walk just like all the others here will do. The sooner you accept that idea, the sooner you and I are going to get along. Now if you will excuse me little girl, I have work to do."

Once again Adam turned his back on Rebecca as he checked out the canteens.

Not being use to someone speaking to her this way, Rebecca just stood there for a moment until she angrily declared, "Well, I never!"

Adam just grinned as he commented dryly, "You probably haven't little girl… you probably haven't."

After hearing Adam's comment Rebecca stomped her foot then turned and stormed over to her nanny who had just heard this whole conversation.

Miss Langford just smiled and mumbled under her breath, "Way to go, Mr. Cartwright."

oooooooooooooooo

Nightfall brought much cooler weather and all the passengers were sitting around the fire that Adam had built trying not to think about how cold they were. Because this had been the robber's first attempt at robbing a stage they had forgotten to search the entire stage, so Frank had managed to keep a pistol hidden under the seat. He wasn't a brave man and really didn't want to get shot for the measly pay he received every month for working on the stage line. So he had kept the gun a secret until after the robbers had left. Adam had put it to good use and gotten two rabbits for their supper. It wasn't much, but at least they didn't starve. Everyone was grateful of course—except Rebecca.

After cooking it over the fire Adam had cut small amounts of meat and was going around handing it to the passengers. He had stopped in front of Rebecca and was waiting for her to take her share.

"Is this all there is?" Rebecca whined, as she looked up at Adam.

Adam frowned and shrugged slightly.

"No, little girl, the rest of the seven course meal will be here shortly. The other waiters will be bringing it any time now. Be grateful we have this and for once in your young life…quit complaining!"

Adam smirked as he started to walk away, "Of course if this isn't to your liking little girl, then I am sure someone else will be happy to eat it."

Rebecca frowned but quickly pulled the meat off of the stick that Adam held. She didn't say a word but started eating the rabbit as her hunger took over. After Adam had served everyone he eventually sat down and started eating his own supper.

"I think it is time we all introduced ourselves since we will be in each other's company for the next couple of days. My name is Adam Cartwright."

Adam turned his head to his right waiting for the driver to introduce himself. He had known Frank for a few years now, but of course the others didn't know him at all.

"Uh, my name is Frank Johnson, and I have been driving this here stage for 5 years now."

It was the newlyweds turn next as the husband went first.

"My name is Markus Greene and this lovely lady is my new bride, Grace."

A broad grin slowly came across the button salesman's face as he introduced himself.

"Howdy, folks. My name is Benjamin Washington and I am mighty happy to make your acquaintance… even though it isn't under the best of circumstances."

Finally it was Rebecca's turn but she just sat there not saying a word. After waiting for an uncomfortable minute without her charge saying anything, Miss Langford jumped in.

"My name is Marietta Langford, and this young girl next to me is, Rebecca Louise Sullivan…please to meet you all."

Adam smiled as he stood up and put another couple of dried twigs on the fire.

"Very well folks, now that the introductions are over I think we all need to get as much sleep as we can. Sunrise comes early around here and we will be starting out soon after. Normally it is better to walk in the night and sleep in the day because of the heat, but it is fall and the days aren't too terribly hot right now."

Looking directly at Rebecca Adam grinned slightly as he made his next statement. "Besides, some of you will do a lot better walking in the daylight than at night."

Eventually everyone got some extra clothes out of their bags to put on to help keep off some of the cold, and then they moved in closer to the fire trying to stay warm and settle in for the night. Of course Rebecca started whining as soon as everyone started to fall asleep.

"This ground is way to hard to sleep on. I can't believe that cowboy expects us to sleep on the ground like dogs."

Rebecca pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she leaned up against Miss Langford. Miss Langford spread out her skirts to make her warmer and whispered in her ear.

"Now, Miss Rebecca, we have to do with what we have. I suppose you could go and sleep in the coach if you prefer. It might be softer."

"I can't do that, it is way too cold over there," Rebecca whined, as she folded her arms in front of her pouting.

Adam just pulled his hat down farther on his head hoping to drown out Rebecca's whining, but as loud as she was whining a person would need earmuffs to do that. Finally after about an hour of her complaining Adam had had enough and so had the rest of the passengers. Only they were too polite to say anything so he decided it was up to him.

Letting out a frustrated sigh Adam slowly stood up and walked over to the pile of wood they had gathered and put another log on the fire. Then he came over to Rebecca and his expression darkened as he looked down at her frowning.

"Young lady, all your whining is keeping the rest of us awake. It is time for you to stop complaining and try and get some sleep, or at the very least be quiet so the rest of us can sleep. I am sorry we don't have a comfy bed for you to sleep little girl, but you need to make do like the rest of us."

Then Adam leaned down close to Rebecca so he had her undivided attention as he placed his hands on each side of the boulder she was resting against. She had no other option but to look up into the face of one very annoyed cowboy as she stared at him trying not to blink.

Adam's voice was dangerously low with no room for doubt as he said, "And if you don't stop this whining and complaining, I just may decide to give you something that will really make you complain!"

Rebecca's eyes widened in disbelief as she started to reply, but she changed her mind quickly when she saw the challenging look in Adam's eyes.

"I don't like you, cowboy," she said fuming, as she glared at Adam.

"Well, I can't say as I will loose too much sleep over that, little girl…Good night."

Adam stood up and smiled at Miss Langford as he touched the brim of his hat, "Good night, Miss Langford."

Then he casually walked over and lay back down on the ground by the fire and put his hat down over his eyes.

The rest of the night was quiet as the passengers tried to sleep as best they could. The only one that didn't get much sleep that night was Rebecca. She spent most of the night stewing over the way a certain cowboy had spoken to her. No one had ever spoken to her that way and she was not happy about it in the least. Just wait until she told her father how he treated her. He would be one very unhappy cowboy by the time her father was done with him she thought, as she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she tried to find a comfortable position and finally drifted off to sleep.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Warning: Spanking in this chapter!

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Morning came far too soon as the passengers were getting ready for the long trek to the way station. There was no breakfast and only a small amount of water to be shared, so it didn't take long for the group of travelers to start out walking. Adam took the lead with Frank at the back making sure no one lagged behind. The first few hours were rather quiet and no one said very much conserving their strength for the journey. Finally Adam told everyone to stop and take a few minutes rest and have some water.

"Well, it is about time! Do you think we are all a bunch of mules that can go forever without a rest?" Rebecca complained loudly, as she sat down in a huff on the nearest rock she could find.

She raised her hand slowly and gestured toward one of the canteens Adam had around his neck.

"Miss Langford, I need water immediately. I am so parched I don't think I can even swallow."

Then she leaned back and put her hand to her brow as if she was going to faint. Miss Langford immediately started to rise to go and fetch water for her spoiled ward, but Adam put up his hand and looked directly at Miss Langford.

"Don't you move, Miss Langford. She is perfectly capable of getting her own water if she is thirsty enough."

Miss Langford looked unsure of what to do as she looked between her ward and the angry look Adam had on his face. She quickly decided to do what Adam said and sat back down on the ground to rest. Rebecca had heard the exchange between her nanny and Adam and couldn't believe Miss Langford did what Adam said instead of her.

"How dare you talk to my nanny that way, cowboy. She works for my father and is paid to take care of my needs. Miss Langford… I am waiting!"

Looking over at Rebecca Adam's eyebrow arched as he threw her a challenging look.

"Well little girl, you are going to be waiting a long time because your nanny is not going to wait on you anymore on this trip. You are perfectly able to help yourself. So if you want a drink, I suggest you get up and come over here and get it."

Adam grinned deliberately as he took a drink of water from the canteen and took a seat on the ground. Rebecca's eyes widened in disbelief as she got up and came over and stood in front of Adam with her hands on her hips.

"Stop calling me, little girl! I will have you know that I am fifteen and not a little girl!"

Adam shrugged slightly as he grinned. "Could have fooled me. The way you have been acting I thought you were around six or seven tops."

Rebecca stomped her foot as she shouted, "Give me that water right this instant you annoying cowboy!"

Suddenly Adam stood up and got within inches of her as he leaned in close enough so only she could hear what he was about to say.

"Young lady, I suggest you change your attitude immediately and listen VERY carefully, because I am not going to tell you again. My name is Adam Cartwright…not cowboy. You may call me Mr. Cartwright. From now on you will use my name correctly or do not expect me to answer you at all. Furthermore, it is time that you stop acting like a spoiled child and start treating the people around here with respect and start pulling your own weight. Because if you don't, I will take you over my knee and give you the spanking that you so richly deserve. And that is a promise!"

Adam handed Rebecca the canteen as his expression darkened.

"Now take a drink and then go over and sit down and get some rest. We will be leaving in ten minutes."

Rebecca stood there with her mouth slightly open, not really sure she had just heard what Adam told her. It took her a moment to comprehend what he had just threatened to do before she felt her cheeks turn red.

"You wouldn't dare! My father would have you put in jail!" Rebecca declared, as she lifted her chin defiantly.

Narrowing his eyes Adam said, "Oh, I most certainly would! If my two younger brothers were here they could tell you that I certainly dared whenever they acted like brats. So don't push your luck, little girl! Of course they knew how to be respectful and speak to adults…something you still have to learn."

Adam and Rebecca stood glaring at each other until Rebecca saw the look in Adam's eyes and decided it might be in her best interest to go and sit down and not push him any further at the moment. Ten minutes later the travelers headed out making good time as the sun slowly crept up in the morning sky. By noon Adam had them sit and take another rest while he and Frank went out looking for some small game to eat.

Rebecca sat on a small rock and took off her shoe. She started to rub her foot hoping it might help the aching. Miss Langford had come over and was sitting down by the new bride as she struck up a conversation.

"So, you're on your way to Virginia City for your honeymoon? How wonderful that is. Where will you put down roots for your home, Miss Grace?"

Grace smiled as her eyes twinkled with all the enthusiasm of a young bride while she told Miss Langford of their plans to homestead just outside of Virginia City. They had only been married a couple of days when the stagecoach was robbed. So she truly was a newlywed and the excitement of a bright future spilled over the more she talked to Miss Langford. After awhile Rebecca got bored that no one was talking to her and came over and plopped down by her nanny.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Miss Langford, I can't go any further. My feet are hurting and I have blisters on them from all this walking. I am not going any further and that is final!"

Miss Langford smiled as she shook her head.

"Now, Miss Rebecca, you are young and strong and you can do this. Besides, Mr. Cartwright says we should be at the way station by tomorrow afternoon so you only have to do this one more day. I just know you can, dear."

"Oh, Mr. Cartwright this and Mr. Cartwright that. I don't care what he says. You just tell him that I can't go any further, do you understand?"

Miss Langford shook her head again as she smiled.

"No, dear, I will not be telling Mr. Cartwright what to do. I would think by now that you know he is in charge and everyone is doing what he says. I expect he knows just what he is doing and will get us to our destination safely. If you want to tell Mr. Cartwright that you aren't going any further…then you tell him because I will not."

Rebecca thought for a moment and remembered what Adam had threatened to do to her and decided to keep quiet for the moment, just incase he was serious with his threat. But she certainly was going to give her father an earful all about Mr. Adam Cartwright when she saw him!

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The sun was starting to set as the weary travelers came to a group of large boulders where Adam had decided to make camp for the night. Everyone was exhausted and later on in the evening they sat around the fire Adam had built trying to get some rest. Adam and Marcus had gone out looking for some game for their supper. The rest of the group were listening to Mr. Washington talk about how excited he was to get to Virginia City to sell his buttons when Rebecca rudely interrupted him.

"Miss Langford, I really need some water to rub on my aching feet. Tend to it at once for I just can't go another step."

Rebecca had looked around to see that Adam was nowhere in sight before she made her demands on her nanny as she sat there rubbing her feet. Miss Langford started to rise to do her young ward's bidding and suddenly stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

"Don't even think about it, Miss Langford!"

Adam had just come into the camp and heard Rebecca's demand and now stood right in front of Miss Langford with an expression that would brook no discussion.

"First of all, there is barely enough water to drink let alone bathe her feet. And secondly, I thought we already discussed that she is perfectly capable of taking care of her own needs and that you were not to wait on her anymore."

Miss Langford looked at the frown on Adam's face and realized he was very serious and decided that he was right and it was time for a certain young lady to start pulling her own weight and grow up. So she just smiled at Rebecca and went over and sat back down by Grace.

Adam walked over and looked down at Rebecca who by now was fuming as she watched her nanny ignore her orders and go and sit down.

Rebecca glared up at Adam not hiding her annoyance in the least as she huffed, "I told you before that I am the only one that can give her orders! Just who do you think you are telling my nanny what to do?"

Adam's eyes abruptly narrowed as he leaned down until he was a few inches from Rebecca's frowning face as he firmly informed her, "I am the man who recently told you that unless your behavior improved, you and I may end up having a little talk, young lady. I can see now that you didn't believe me when I told you that your attitude needed to change or I was going to give you a much deserved spanking. Well little girl, my patience has reached its limit and the time has come for you to see that I am a man of my word!"

Straightening up Adam started to reach for Rebecca's arm, but she jumped up and let out a squeal as she took off running for the boulders that were off to the side of the camp sight with Adam right behind her.

"Don't you dare come near me, cowboy! I am going to tell my father and you will be very sorry!" Rebecca exclaimed, as she watched Adam come into the group of boulders looking very determined.

Realizing that Adam was not going to back down from his threat to warm her backside thoroughly, Rebecca started looking for a way to get around Adam and back to the safety of the camp. But the only way she was going to get through the opening in the boulders was to go by Adam first, and that certainly wasn't going to happen without some damage to her backside. So her next plan of action was to look around for something to use as a weapon to try and keep this very angry cowboy at a distance. Spying a small stick on the ground, she quickly picked it up and started swinging it around in front of her. Of course the only thing she managed to do was make a very angry Adam even angrier.

Adam's voice was dangerously low as he declared, "Little girl, swinging that at me is only going to earn you a few more swats, so I suggest you put it down right now!"

Ignoring Adam instructions, Rebecca continued to swing the stick around acting a lot braver than she really felt as she exclaimed loudly, "Stay away from me, you brute!"

Finally Adam had enough of this annoying brat as he lunged forward and made quick work of taking the stick away from Rebecca as he pulled her towards the nearest boulder and sat down and hauled her across his knees.

As he held her firmly around her waist he proceeded to flip up her skirt and petticoats and start giving this spoiled, little rich girl the first of many hard smacks to her bottom!

At first Rebecca was completely taken off guard that she had ended up over Adam's knees so quickly. But soon her position became quite evident as the first of several painful swats landed on her backside.

"Ouch! Don't you dare spank me," Rebecca cried, as she struggled to get off of Adam's lap.

"Oh, I dare this and a lot more, young lady. You are a spoiled brat and we all are tired of your foolishness. It is time that someone teaches you some manners!" Swat! Swat! Swat! Swat!

"You are going to apologize to Miss Langford…Swat…Swat…Swat...and then you are going to change this attitude that you think the world owes you everything and treat the rest of the passengers respectfully."

"I will not and you can't make me!"

Rebecca began to try to wiggle off of Adam's lap, but he held her firmly in place as he administered three more stinging swats.

"Oh I think I can persuade you to rethink this attitude of yours little girl, or you may find sitting the rest of this trip rather difficult."

"Oww, stop this at once!" Rebecca yelled, as she began kicking her legs furiously.

"I can continue this all night, Rebecca, so I suggest you change your attitude immediately."

Several more hard swats followed as Adam was determined to make this lesson count. Obviously no one had ever given any consequences to this young girl and her behavior certainly showed it.

After delivering two more particularly hard swats Adam stopped and said, "Well, little girl, are you ready to start behaving?"

With her bottom on fire and all thoughts of sitting comfortably a thing of the past, Rebecca stopped kicking and squirming on Adam's lap as she finally realized that Adam could continue this spanking a lot longer than she could throw a fit, and her tears began to flow.

"I am sorry and I…I will apologize to Miss Langford," she cried softly, as she wiped at the tears streaming down her face.

Adam delivered two more stinging swats. "And you will also change your attitude towards the rest of the passengers, young lady."

"Yes…yes…I will. I am sorry I acted the way I have been acting."

"Good girl," Adam said, as he pulled Rebecca's skirt and petticoats back into place and stood her up in front of him as he gently held on to her hands.

"I really didn't want to do this, Rebecca. But your behavior was way out of control and someone had to make you see the error of your ways. You can't go through life thinking that everyone is put on this earth to wait on you and treat them like servants without any feelings. You are old enough to know how people should be treated. Miss Langford has done nothing but be kind to you and the only way you repay her is to be rude and ill-mannered."

Adam reached over and gently wiped a tear that was falling on Rebecca's cheek.

"Hopefully after this lesson you can behave like young ladies should and I won't have to repeat this during the rest of the trip."

Tipping up Rebecca's chin so that she was looking directly at him Adam asked, "Well, do we have an understanding, young lady?"

Rebecca hiccupped and swiped at the tears on her face. She hesitated for a moment but eventually answered Adam when she saw his eyebrow slowly start to rise.

"Yes, yes I will behave."

"Good, I will give you a few minutes to compose yourself and then I expect you to join us at the campfire."

As she continued sniffling and wiping her eyes, Adam could tell she really needed a hug and pulled her into his strong arms and started to rub her back.

Suddenly the floodgates opened as Rebecca started crying on Adam's shoulder.

"I…I really am sorry," Rebecca sobbed, as she continued crying on Adam's shoulder until his shirt became wet from her tears.

"It's alright now…just let it all out, Rebecca. It is all over now and you can start a new slate," Adam said softly, as he continued to rub her back in a soothing motion.

After a few minutes of hard crying, Rebecca finally stood back from Adam and smiled slightly as she dabbed at her eyes with the hem of her dress.

"May I stay here for a few minutes more?"

"Of course, you take all the time you need," Adam said smiling, as he stood up and squeezed Rebecca's shoulder.

"I hope you are hungry because we got lucky and got some meat for supper," Adam declared cheerfully, as he grinned and gave her a quick wink before he turned and headed for the campsite.

As soon as Adam was out of sight Rebecca's hand darted back to her bottom and she started to rub her smarting backside hoping to make the sting go away. But Adam was always very thorough when administering a spanking, and Rebecca was certainly going to remember this discussion for the next few days every time she sat down. After dabbing her eyes and straightening her hair, she decided she was ready to go back and face the others.

"That cowboy sure has a hard hand," Rebecca muttered, as she started heading back to the campsite, all the while rubbing at her tender backside.

TBC

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

I know this was a long chapter, but I just couldn't find a place to stop that wouldn't leave you frustrated and wonder how long Adam was going to take this girl's attitude. So now you know, he didn't take her bratty attitude any longer and Miss Rebecca now knows that Adam is a man of his word.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will please let me know! I appreciate all the alerts, favorites and reviews. You all are awesome!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Adam came from behind the boulders and went over and picked up the game they had shot and sat down by the fire. The rest of the group all had smiles on their faces because someone finally did what they all had secretly wanted to do to since this trip started—put Rebecca Louise Sullivan in her place! And now Adam Cartwright had done just that.

"Marcus, would you help me skin this other rabbit?" Adam asked, as he threw it over at Marcus.

"Sure, Mr. Cartwright. These are some nice fat ones we got tonight and they should help us all from being too hungry."

Everyone started doing various things around the campfire as Rebecca slowly came from around the boulders and started walking towards the campfire. She was hesitant as she came over to her nanny and looked down at her as she cleared her throat and spoke softly.

"Miss Langford, I owe you an apology for being so rude to you. The cowboy…"

Rebecca quickly glanced over at Adam as she saw him arch his eyebrow.

"I mean… Mr. Cartwright, well… we had a little discussion and he made me realize that I needed to be nicer to you. I promise I will try to do better."

Miss Langford stood up and hugged her ward as she replied, "I think that is wonderful, Miss Rebecca. I accept your apology and I know you will do much better now."

Miss Langford looked over at Adam with a twinkle in her eye and gave him a quick wink. Adam just smiled and continued cleaning the rabbit. Rebecca walked over to the edge of the campfire and slowly started to sit down. As she connected with the hard ground, she winced slightly when her sore bottom touched firm ground but eventually sat the rest of the way down. Letting out a long sigh she took a small stick and stirred the fire in front of her not wanting to make eye contact with the rest of the passengers. She knew everyone had heard what went on behind the boulders and was very embarrassed. But she didn't need to worry as no one said anything until dinner had been cooked and Adam was walking around handing out each person's share of meat. When he got in front of Rebecca he looked down at her and smiled. He really wasn't sure how she was going to react since their little session behind the boulders.

Rebecca looked up at Adam as she accepted her share of meat and politely said, "Thank you, Mr. Cartwright."

Adam grinned as he answered, "You are quite welcome, Rebecca."

Looking rather surprised Rebecca said, "You didn't call me, little girl?"

Smiling fondly Adam responded, "Maybe that is because it seems that you are finally growing up and acting like a young lady should instead of a spoiled little girl."

Rebecca beamed as she ate her meat while Adam continued to hand out the rest of the meat to the hungry passengers. Soon everyone had finished their share of meat and tried to get comfortable as they settled in for the night. And for the first time on this trip, Rebecca Louise Sullivan was quiet and didn't complain once about her circumstances for the rest of the night, even though she had a hard time trying to get comfortable with her smarting backside.

oxoxoxoxoxoxox

The weary travelers set out early on the second day of their journey. Adam was very pleased with their progress and it looked like they probably would make the way station by nightfall without any more problems. But of course those fates still had to make one last attempt to prove Adam wrong and give them a little more excitement on their journey. They had stopped for a water break and were sitting around resting while Grace started braiding Rebecca's long hair to keep it out of her face.

"You have such beautiful hair, Rebecca. I wish my hair was as pretty as yours, but my hair just never does what I want it too and curls all over my head."

Rebecca smiled as she answered Grace. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Greene. My father says my hair is just like my mother's hair was. I never knew my mother…she died when I was one."

"Oh you poor thing. No wonder you acted the way you did. You never had a mama to teach you otherwise."

As soon as she said that Grace put her hand to her mouth. "I am so sorry, Rebecca. I should never have said that."

Placing her hand on Grace's arm Rebecca grinned slightly, "It's alright. I really did act like a spoiled princess. I guess my father always gives me everything I want and never tells me no. I think he is sorry that I lost my mother at such a young age, so he tries to make up for it by giving me everything I want and doesn't care how I behave. Consequently I thought that everyone else should treat me the same way. I really did act terrible and I am very sorry."

Rebecca grinned rather sheepishly as she laughed softly. "I guess I finally met someone who wouldn't let me get away with that kind of behavior when I met Mr. Cartwright. You know at first I was really mad that he…well you know…spanked me. I have never been spanked before and I sure didn't like it at all. But I think I probably deserved it acting the way that I did toward Miss Langford and everyone else. She is always so sweet to me and all I have ever done is be rude to her…but not anymore. I am really going to try and act a lot nicer to everyone."

Rebecca stood up and winced slightly as her tender bottom was still reminding her of her recent discussion with Adam as she headed towards a large group of rocks for some privacy. Then she slowly turned and glanced back at Grace as she said with a teasing grin, "At least as long as Mr. Cartwright is around."

A few minutes later as Rebecca was walking back towards the group of travelers, Adam shouted out to her.

"Don't move another step, Rebecca!"

"What's wrong? Why can't I move another step?"

Rebecca looked over and saw Adam pointing his gun in her direction and then the sound of a single gunshot rang out in the air. Letting out a loud scream Rebecca suddenly took off running. Adam made short work of catching up to her and gently pulled her into his arms.

"Shh, everything is going to be alright now. The snake is dead and you will be fine, Rebecca."

Rebecca started sobbing as Adam bent down and easily picked her up in his arms and carried her to a large rock and sat down with her in his lap.

"Shh, it is all over now and you are just fine, Rebecca."

Rocking her back and forth in his arms Adam continued comforting her until she cried herself out. Eventually he lifted her chin and smiled down at her.

"There now…feel better?"

Rebecca shook her head yes and wiped her eyes.

"I thought you were pointing that gun at me and you were going to shoot me!"

Adam chuckled softly, "Why in heavens name did you think I was going to shoot you?"

"Because you told me to stand still and then I saw you pointing your gun at me."

Doing his best not to smile, Adam clasped her hand in his as he answered, "I was shooting at the rattlesnake that was by your feet, not at you."

Feeling totally embarrassed Rebecca turned her head into Adam's chest as she whispered, "Oh."

Eventually getting her emotions under control, Rebecca got off of Adam's lap and stood in front of him as she put her head down she softly muttered, "I am so sorry I got so upset, but I thought you didn't like me and when I saw you pointing your gun at me…well, I just thought you wanted to shoot me."

"Oh, Rebecca, I certainly didn't like the way you behaved, but I never disliked you. I had that little discussion with you because I thought it was time that somebody taught you there are consequences for bad behavior. And you definitely were behaving badly treating Miss Langford the way you did. But as I told you it is all over and done and we have moved on."

"You call that a discussion?" Rebecca said, as she rolled her eyes. "If I remember there wasn't a whole lot of discussing going on."

Rebecca smiled shyly as she thought about rubbing her abused backside, but didn't because she was still rather embarrassed.

Adam lifted his brow in amusement as he sat there listening to Rebecca.

"Yes, young lady, most spankings don't have a lot of talking so hopefully the person receiving the spanking will learn from the lesson."

"Oh, I think I got the message for sure," Rebecca said blushing, and finally gave into the urge to rub her still tender backside.

Adam's hazel eyes twinkled as he said, "When I was a kid my father always said that the seat of most problems could be solved on the seat of your backside."

Rebecca put her hand over her mouth as she tried to hide her giggles.

"And just why do you find that so funny, young lady?"

"Because…I was just imagining you over your father's knee.

"Well believe me, I have been there many times."

Rebecca's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "Many times?"

After standing up Adam put his arm around Rebecca's shoulders then he laughed.

"Yes, many times… I was a slow learner."

Sharing a good laugh, they finally started towards the rest of the group with Adam's arm still around Rebecca's shoulders.

"Alright, Miss Rebecca, let's get going or we will be here all day," Adam said, as he winked and flashed his dimpled smile.

Three hours later the group of weary travelers saw smoke from the chimney of the way station and a cheer went up from the group as they headed for food, water and a much-needed rest.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Tom McGee was happily pouring everyone a strong cup of hot coffee as he told the weary travelers what the plans were once the stagecoach didn't arrive in Virginia City. He was the station manager and was very excited that all the passengers had showed up on his doorstep tired and hungry, but all well and accounted for.

"Yep, we was just getting ready to send out a search party fer ya, Frank. Glad everyone is okay. They was bringing out some buckboards from town for you to take ya back to Virginia City…that is if they found ya. Everyone was sure hoping that you was alive and that they wouldn't be taking any dead bodies back. They should be here in the morning sometime. When you was late, I sent my nephew into Virginia City to tell the stagecoach people what had happened. He just got back an hour ago with the news about the buckboards coming in the morning."

Tom's nephew just grinned as he set the biscuits on the table. Being rather shy, he much rather be out with the horses than around a lot of people so after grabbing a couple of biscuits, he headed out the door to feed the horses.

As Frank slowly stirred his coffee he told Tom what had been happening the last few days while they where missing.

"Well, I couldn't have done it alone and sure was glad Adam was with the passengers. He knows this area as well as I do and between the two of us we didn't have too much trouble getting here."

Adam just rolled his eyes at that statement and slowly sipped his coffee.

"The robbers took all our money but left us some water. And I had a gun hid so we was able to hunt for a little food."

Tom looked over at Adam as he grinned, "Yeah, Adam, haven't seen you in a while. Sure glad you was on the stage too."

Adam just smiled and nodded his head while everyone started diving into the food that Tom had set out. The meal was eaten in silence with an occasional comment as they all enjoyed Tom's meal of beef stew and biscuits with honey. After the meal Rebecca actually helped with the dishes and soon the weary travelers settled in for the night.

The next morning Rebecca was outside on the porch lost in her thoughts when Adam came up behind her.

"A penny for your thoughts."

Rebecca turned when she heard Adam's voice and smiled.

"I was just thinking about how much I have been through on this trip. If anyone would have told me that I would walk as far as I did, I would have told them that they were crazy… but I guess I even surprised myself."

"Oh, I think you are very capable of a lot of things, Rebecca, if you just give yourself a chance. You are a very pretty young lady and now that you know how to treat people with kindness and respect, I think you will do well with all your future endeavors."

Rebecca blushed and lowered her head slightly, "You think I am pretty?"

Tipping up her chin Adam smiled fondly, "Yes, very pretty."

Rebecca blushed again and started playing with the lace on her sleeve.

Adam could see that Rebecca was a little nervous so he cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"Breakfast is ready so let's go back inside before it gets cold," Adam suggested, and started to open the screen door.

But as they turned to go back inside he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and realized there were dust clouds on the road.

"Well, it looks like our ride is coming down the road right now. I think we will all be home sooner than we thought. I bet you will be glad to get to Virginia City and see your father."

Smiling slightly, Rebecca put her hand over her eyes to block out the sun as she looked down the road to see two buckboards heading towards them.

oxoxoxoxoxoxox

Two hours later all the passengers were loading in the buckboards except Adam. He had gotten an extra horse from Tom and decided to ride the rest of the way home. Rebecca's father and Adam were standing off a little ways from the rest of the passengers because Mr. Sullivan had told Adam he wanted to have a private word with him before he left. Not wanting to wait in town for word of his daughter, Mr. Sullivan had come with the rescue drivers from town and was thrilled when they found them all safe.

"I understand you were one of the main reason everyone got here safely and I want to thank you for all that you have done for my daughter and the rest of the passengers, Mr. Cartwright," Mr. Sullivan declared, as he shook Adam's hand.

"You are quite welcome, sir. I was glad to do it and I am happy that it all turned out so well. By the way, did your daughter tell you about the little discussion she and I had?"

Looking rather puzzled Mr. Sullivan asked, "No, what discussion was that?"

Adam cleared his throat and tugged slightly at his ear before he eventually said, "I think I will let her tell you. I guess she will get around to telling you about it in her own time. It might be a little embarrassing for her."

Adam turned to leave when Mr. Sullivan put his hand on Adam's arm stopping him from leaving.

"Now just a minute, Cartwright. Just what went on between you and my daughter that might be embarrassing for her?"

Adam felt his temper start to flare at Mr. Sullivan's innuendo about Rebecca and him.

"If you will remove your hand from my arm, I will be happy to tell you what happened," Adam stated firmly, as he stared down at Sullivan's hand, not leaving any doubt that he wanted Sullivan to remove his hand from Adam's forearm.

"Oh, of course…I am sorry. It is just where my daughter is concerned I am always quick to defend her."

Hoping not to sound too sarcastic Adam replied, "No wonder."

"Just what do you mean by that, sir?"

"I mean, do you ever hold your daughter accountable for her actions when she is rude and disrespectful?"

Mr. Sullivan's eyes widened as he declared, "My daughter's behavior is always respectful. Why would you even ask that question?"

"Just how often are you with your daughter, Mr. Sullivan?"

"Well, my work does take me away from her more than I like. But Miss Langford is always with her and has raised her since she was a baby. I put my full trust in her to raise my daughter the way society expects a young lady of breeding to be."

"Well that may be but how does she treat Miss Langford when you are around?"

Looking puzzled with where this conversation was going Mr. Sullivan answered Adam's question rather harshly.

"She is always well behaved and respectful. Why do you ask?"

"Well, she was anything but respectful and kind on this trip whenever she addressed her nanny or anyone else for that matter. In fact, she was down right rude and demanding. This trip was hot and dusty and we all had to pull our own load and share what water we had. Everyone was fine with that but your daughter."

By now Mr. Sullivan was getting irritated and quickly interrupted Adam. "Just get to the point, Cartwright!"

"Very well, sir," Adam said frowning.

"Rebecca was demanding that Miss Langford wait on her constantly. She even went so far as to demand that she bring her water to rub her feet. She complained all the time and wouldn't even try and make the best of the situation and would whine all night about how miserable she was keeping us all awake. We had very little water and so I rationed the water so it would last the two days I knew it would take to get to the station."

Upon hearing Adam's version of the trip, Mr. Sullivan was starting to see a side of his daughter that he was not pleased with at all and just stood there shaking his head.

"She was very disrespectful to all of the adults and did everything in her power to make the rest of the group as miserable as she could. But the final thing she did that made me take her to task was when she demanded that Miss Langford use what little water we had left to bathe her feet."

Mr. Sullivan's face quickly changed from concern to anger as he listened to Adam continue.

"I have been raised to be respectful of my elders and if I was not, then I had consequences. Usually a sound tanning from my father and I would straighten right up. It is amazing what a sore backside will do for one's behavior. I had repeatedly told Rebecca she needed to stop complaining and treating Miss Langford so badly or I was going to give her a spanking. I gave her many opportunities to change her attitude, but she didn't change her behavior in the least. And when she demanded that Miss Langford give her what little water we had left to bathe her feet, well I decided she had gone far enough. So I took her over my knee and spanked her."

Adam watched Mr. Sullivan's face expecting him to be outraged, but Mr. Sullivan continued to look at Adam quietly waiting for him to finish.

"And you would be amazed at how her behavior straightened right up for the rest of the trip. She even apologized to her nanny and started being a well behaved young lady you could be proud of."

Letting out a long sigh Adam finally added, "I am sure you are not too happy right about now, but I did what I felt was necessary and I won't apologize for it."

Shaking his head Mr. Sullivan frowned as he looked slightly annoyed. He was totally surprised and disappointed by his daughter's outlandish behavior.

"I had no idea of her behavior to Miss Langford when I was not around. She was always very well behaved so I naturally assumed she was always that way. I know I have spoiled her terribly with giving her everything she wants, but I had no idea she had become such an inconsiderate girl. From the sounds of what you have told me you had every cause to take her to task. And you can bet that she and I will be having a very long talk about her future behavior when we get back to Virginia City."

Taking Adam's hand in another firm handshake Mr. Sullivan smiled, "I really am thankful you were on the stage and did so much to help everyone arrive safely. I am sorry for my daughter's behavior and I totally understand why you felt you needed to set her straight. You had a heavy burden on your shoulders getting everyone here safely and you certainly didn't need the added stress of a spoiled girl constantly causing trouble. Have a safe trip home, Mr. Cartwright, and maybe we will meet again someday under different circumstances."

Returning his handshake Adam smiled as he replied, "You are welcome, sir. I was more than happy to help guide everyone here safely and I am glad it all turned out well. You have a very lovely daughter there, sir. Just remember that sometimes you need to set limits with consequences where children are concerned. All fathers want to give their children things but sometimes they will take advantage of you if you overdo. I hope you can be in your daughter's life a little more now so you can help guide her."

"I will definitely make a point of doing just that, Mr. Cartwright."

"It has been a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sullivan, and I hope your journey the rest of the way goes well."

Turning away from Mr. Sullivan Adam walked over to the rest of the group so he could say his goodbyes.

Stopping in front of Miss Langford Adam reached out to shake her hand, but she quickly pulled Adam into a big hug and when she was done she gave him a saucy wink before climbing into the buckboard.

"Thanks for all your help, Mr. Cartwright. We couldn't have done it without you."

Adam tipped his hat as he gave her that dashing, dimpled grin of his.

"You are quite welcome, Miss Langford."

Finally he was standing in front of Rebecca and couldn't help but smile as he noticed her nervousness. She had her head down and was scraping the ground with her shoe. Adam reached over and put his hand under her chin as he lifted up her face to look at him.

"Well, little miss, this has been quite the adventure. I know I will never forget it. I hope you have learned something from this trip."

Rebecca grinned shyly and lowered her head once again as a quick picture of their little "discussion" flashed through her head.

A firm hand caught her chin once more and lifted her eyes to look at Adam as he smiled easily. Soon Rebecca found herself smiling also.

"Just remember to treat people with kindness and respect and they will treat you the same way. Have a safe journey the rest of the way, Rebecca Louise Sullivan… and maybe we will meet again sometime."

Adam leaned over and kissed Rebecca lightly on the cheek, then he turned and walked over and mounted his horse as he tipped his hat to the rest of the group.

"Goodbye everyone… have a safe journey."

Soon all that could be seen of Adam and his horse was a small dust cloud as the wind whipped it around until it eventually settled on the road.

Rebecca stood there for the longest time as she watched Adam ride off until he was completely out of sight. The whole time she watched him she held her hand on her cheek where Adam had kissed her. Finally hearing Miss Langford call her name, she let out a long sigh and climbed into the buckboard along side her nanny.

"I certainly hope we meet again someday too, Adam Cartwright," she muttered softly, as she started to daydream about that very thing while holding her hand pressed against her cheek.

And who knows, the way the fates have been playing with poor Adam, they very well may.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Thanks everyone for the great reviews. I am so glad you enjoyed this story about Rebecca.


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